THROUGH THE BIBLE COMMENTARY
This program of daily devotions is designed to take you through the Bible in three years. It is our desire to help you gain a better general understanding of God's Word.
Please understand that in a study this brief, we will be concerned with only the major emphases and context of the Scriptures.
Each day a devotion for one or two chapters is posted, beginning with chapter one of Genesis and going through chapter twenty-two of Revelation. You are free to print each page as it appears.
Bruce McGee, Pastor
205 Adams
Columbia, LA 71418
GENESIS
CHAPTER 49
1 And Jacob called unto his sons, and said, Gather yourselves together, that I may tell you that which shall befall you in the last days. 2 Gather yourselves together, and hear, ye sons of Jacob; and hearken unto Israel your father.
Genesis, the "book of beginnings," ends with the death of Jacob.
God has established the universe. God has established the human race.
And God has established a "chosen" group of people in the human race,
through whom He shall deliver a Saviour for sinful man.
Jacob has already passed on his "first-born" blessing to Joseph,
and now he calls for the other sons to come with their families.
Though Jacob is weak in body and frail, he is still strong of mind,
and spirit. And his thought at this most important time is to share
with his sons what he knows spiritually.
3 Reuben, thou art my firstborn, my might, and the beginning of my strength, the excellency of dignity, and the excellency of power: 4 Unstable as water, thou shalt not excel; because thou wentest up to thy father's bed; then defiledst thou it: he went up to my couch.
Reuben: lost his birthright because of incestuous infidelity. Jacob
says that his descendants will be "unstable as water." No prophet, judge
or hero ever came from this tribe.
5 Simeon and Levi are brethren; instruments of cruelty are in their habitations. 6 O my soul, come not thou into their secret; unto their assembly, mine honour, be not thou united: for in their anger they slew a man, and in their selfwill they digged down a wall. 7 Cursed be their anger, for it was fierce; and their wrath, for it was cruel: I will divide them in Jacob, and scatter them in Israel.
The tribes of Simeon and Levi: Jacob denounces their destruction of Hamor
and Shechem. He says they'll never be a self-sustaining tribe. Simeon actually
received his inheritance inside Judah's land; and Levi never received one.
Levi's tribe did become significant because of their righteousness in opposing
idolatry (Exod. 32:26).
8 Judah, thou art he whom thy brethren shall praise: thy hand shall be in the neck of thine enemies; thy father's children shall bow down before thee. 9 Judah is a lion's whelp: from the prey, my son, thou art gone up: he stooped down, he couched as a lion, and as an old lion; who shall rouse him up? 10 The sceptre shall not depart from Judah, nor a lawgiver from between his feet, until Shiloh come; and unto him shall the gathering of the people be. 11 Binding his foal unto the vine, and his ass's colt unto the choice vine; he washed his garments in wine, and his clothes in the blood of grapes: 12 His eyes shall be red with wine, and his teeth white with milk.
Judah: Much is to be said by Jacob about this tribe. First - (vs 9) he is like
a young lion, swift to take his prey. Second - he is like a "couched" lion,
or a mature one sleeping content after eating, and one does not dare to WAKE him!
From these two things we realize that Judah will be very strong in battle, but
only when necessary.
Next, in vs. 10, we find that this tribe will be the ruler ("lawgiver") and it will
be that way until "Shiloh comes." Shiloh means "He Who's Right it is to bring peace."
And that phrase means that the people are happy to have a ruler like this, and they
are willing to follow him. Perhaps that's because of what Jacob says next.
In vs. 11, he says, under the leader's rule the "vines" will be so strong and full
that one could tie a donkey to them. There is strength and power
in this ruler. And in vs. 12, this leader will bring prosperity and health.
Peoples eyes will sparkle like wine, and thier teeth will be strong and bright.
David was such a ruler. And from David's descendents came THE RULER,
our Lord, Jesus Christ.
13 Zebulun shall dwell at the haven of the sea; and he shall be for an haven of ships; and his border shall be unto Zidon.
Zebulun: A tribe who would dwell near the sea, and be a welcom for travelers by ship.
14 Issachar is a strong ass couching down between two burdens: 15 And he saw that rest was good, and the land that it was pleasant; and bowed his shoulder to bear, and became a servant unto tribute.
Issachar: A strong, but lazy people. Always having debt problems and serving
others to pay it off.
16 Dan shall judge his people, as one of the tribes of Israel. 17 Dan shall be a serpent by the way, an adder in the path, that biteth the horse heels, so that his rider shall fall backward.
Dan: From this tribe came a most notable judge - Samson. However, this tribe
introduced idolatry into the nation of Israel. Thus they were like "snakes,"
biting the horse and causing the rider to "fall backward."
18 I have waited for thy salvation, O LORD.
Perhaps Jacob paused for a breath here, and reflected on his life.
Maybe he was reflecting on the lives of men in general, which we
shall do at the end of this chapter.
But here, Jacob gives praise to God. Perhaps this is a lament,
AND a doxology.
19 Gad, a troop shall overcome him: but he shall overcome at the last.
Gad: This tribe settled East of Jordan and therefore needed strong warriors
who wouldn't give up.
20 Out of Asher his bread shall be fat, and he shall yield royal dainties.
Asher: Would become rich by selling luxuries raised in their land. They
exported breads and spices.
21 Naphtali is a hind let loose: he giveth goodly words.
Naphtali: A swift and eloquent speaker.
22 Joseph is a fruitful bough, even a fruitful bough by a well; whose branches run over the wall: 23 The archers have sorely grieved him, and shot at him, and hated him: 24 But his bow abode in strength, and the arms of his hands were made strong by the hands of the mighty God of Jacob; (from thence is the shepherd, the stone of Israel:) 25 Even by the God of thy father, who shall help thee; and by the Almighty, who shall bless thee with blessings of heaven above, blessings of the deep that lieth under, blessings of the breasts, and of the womb: 26 The blessings of thy father have prevailed above the blessings of my progenitors unto the utmost bound of the everlasting hills: they shall be on the head of Joseph, and on the crown of the head of him that was separate from his brethren.
Joseph: Considered fruitful with two branches that went over the wall -
Ephraim and Manasseh (vs 22). And in vs. 23, though the enemies have been
and are many, Joseph remains strong (vs 24) because God
caused it.
In verses 25-26, Jacob says that God will continue to bless Joseph.
27 Benjamin shall ravin as a wolf: in the morning he shall devour the prey, and at night he shall divide the spoil.
Benjamin: A tribe that will produce successful warriors, but a cruel people.
28 All these are the twelve tribes of Israel: and this is it that their father spake unto them, and blessed them; every one according to his blessing he blessed them.
Jacob is considered a patriarch, or founder of faith in God among
people. He is also considered a prophet, or "nabi"(Hebrew). A prophet is
one who "bubbles forth" the words of the Lord.
No matter what else may have been; no matter what else he may have done, Jacob
was a "cut above" the rest because he was God's chosen man for the time.
And Jacob, the Bible says, "blessed them, every one according to his blessings.
In other words, Jacob spoke what God revealed.
What has Jacob said here that is useful to you and me?
Some people are unstable, and some are hasty. Some people
are STRONG, and some are great leaders. Some people earn their
way by the sea, others from the land. Some people are strong enough
to lead, but are like snakes, causing people to go backward.
Some people are swift and eloquent speakers. Some are successful warriors. Some people are cruel, while others are compassionate.
THIS is what God reveals about people!
29 And he charged them, and said unto them, I am to be gathered unto my people: bury me with my fathers in the cave that is in the field of Ephron the Hittite, 30 In the cave that is in the field of Machpelah, which is before Mamre, in the land of Canaan, which Abraham bought with the field of Ephron the Hittite for a possession of a buryingplace. 31 There they buried Abraham and Sarah his wife; there they buried Isaac and Rebekah his wife; and there I buried Leah. 32 The purchase of the field and of the cave that is therein was from the children of Heth. 33 And when Jacob had made an end of commanding his sons, he gathered up his feet into the bed, and yielded up the ghost, and was gathered unto his people.
Jacob leaves them with a request: to be buries with Isaac, his father, and
with Abraham his grandfather. You will note here that Abraham and Sarah were
buried together, and Isaac and Rebekah were buried together. I'm sure old Jacob
would've buried Rachel there if he could; but God had prevented that. And now,
Jacob realizes something - he's supposed to be buried with Leah.
Sometimes what we LOVE in this life, is not what God wants us to love.
Jacob's heart went to Rachel, and God used that to bring Joseph into the world,
and give the nation of Israel help when they needed it.
But God's intended bride for Jacob was Leah. It was through her that
God chose to send the Messiah.
When we do even our BEST, as Christians, sometimes we don't follow God's
will as we should. But God, merciful and gracious, always works things out
for His glory and our benefit.
See Romans 8:28.
Please continue to follow along in Bible study with us.